Earlier earthquake reports

UPDATE 29/10 – 09:30 UTC
Video footage of Australia’s TenNews of the funeral for the killed people

Image via Wikipedia

UPDATE 29/10 – 09:07 UTCExcerpt of an article from Indonesia Antaranews which we would like our readers to readMount Merapi is still spewing hot clouds after the eruption on Tuesday.
The volcano was recorded to have spewed hot spots twice on Friday at 06.00 a.m. to 09.00 a.m. local time.
“Hot clouds are still coming out that we declare the Mount Merapi status to `beware`,” the head of Geology Agency, R Syukar said here Friday.
The data from Investigation and Technology Development of Volcanology Board of Yogyakarta(BPPTK) showed the first hot cloud was emitted at 06.10 a.m. at the local time for three minutes, while the second one was at 08.41 a.m. at the local time occurring for nine minutes.
However, the BBPTK failed to confirm the direction of the hot clouds as the Merapi`s peak was covered with mist.
Despite hot clouds, there were also 87 avalanches, 53 multiphase temblors, and 16 volcanic temblors recorded.
BPPTK spotted a motionless fire hot spot at the mount peak that might lead to the formation of new lava dome.

UPDATE 28/10 – 08:44 UTCDeath toll of Mt. Merapi rises to 32.
2 seriously burned people have perished from their wounds.
Most of the deaths were people who did not followed the governments advice to evacuate from their houses.
Identification of the heavily burned bodies was extremely difficult. Thus, the body of supposedly Mbah Maridjan, the spiritual gatekeeper of the volcano, had to be identified by his DNA. 4 rows of hot pyroclastic clouds have devastated the village of Kinahrejo on the slopes of the volcano. All houses have been burned down in this village.

UPDATE 27/10 – 08:39 UTCReuters reported a few moments ago that at least 28 people have been killed and 14 injured by erupting Mount Merapi. Many houses have been destroyed and the slopes of the volcano are covered with a thick layer of ash.
Prove of a pyroclastic flow is that some bodies were almost unrecognizable, as they were burned by the superheated gases from the volcano.

UPDATE 28/10 – 08:44 UTCDeath toll of Mt. Merapi rises to 32.
2 seriously burned people have perished from their wounds.
Most of the deaths were people who did not followed the governments advice to evacuate from their houses.
Identification of the heavily burned bodies was extremely difficult. Thus, the body of supposedly Mbah Maridjan, the spiritual gatekeeper of the volcano, had to be identified by his DNA. 4 rows of hot pyroclastic clouds have devastated the village of Kinahrejo on the slopes of the volcano. All houses have been burned down in this village.

UPDATE 27/10 – 08:39 UTCReuters reported a few moments ago that at least 28 people have been killed and 14 injured by erupting Mount Merapi. Many houses have been destroyed and the slopes of the volcano are covered with a thick layer of ash.
Prove of a pyroclastic flow is that some bodies were almost unrecognizable, as they were burned by the superheated gases from the volcano.

UPDATE 27/10 – 06:39 UTC
The dead toll is climbing after the first pyroclastic cloud eruption on Mt Merapi. 25 people have lost their live so far.
One of the victims was the mountain’s spiritual gatekeeper.
Seismologists are unsure whether Tuesdays eruption took enough pressure from the volcano to avoid further problems.
The risk of a major explosive eruption with a powerful and devastating adjacent pyroclastic hot cloud is still present. They are continuously following the tremors and are analyzing gases to predict the state of alert. It can take many more days before the people living on the volcano slopes are allowed to return to their houses.We encourage to read a very good article in the Jakarta Post

UPDATE 19:45 UTCFifteen people were reportedly killed in Mount Merapi`s hot clouds on Tuesday with four of them found inside and 11 others outside the home of Mt Merapi caretaker Ki Surakso Hargo, popularly known as Mbah Maridjan. Read more in Antara News Agency

Mount Merapi of 2,968 meters high erupted three times, the first eruption was at 17:02 p.m. Jakarta time (1002 GMT), Hendratmo told Xinhua.

Local television reported one baby died after suffering from respiratory problem and 20 others suffered from serious injuries from hot ash.

Hendratmo said that the eruption was the beginning of the eruption phase.

Observer at monitoring post for Mount Merapi in Sleman district of Yoyakarta Heru Saparwoko told Xinhua by phone from the district that the cloud had hampered them to monitor how far the hot ash has spread. “We will keep monitoring the peak of eruption,” he said.

The television footage footage displayed thousands of panic residence rush to leave the dangerous area by car or other vehicles to take shelters in baracks.